Whistleblower faces government denial

By Tale B. Jordbakke

The story of the high profile Queensland whistleblower, Jim Leggate is one of a kind. A narrative of lies, corruption, dishonesty and deceit. More than a decade later, Jim Leggate tells a story about misconduct in the mining industry. FULL STORY

A finger in both pies: Australia's Chief Scientist and Rio Tinto

By Tarni Taylor

In 1999, the Howard Government appointed a Chief Scientist from outside the public sector to advise the country on science and innovation policy. That Chief Scientist works two days a week for the Government, and three days a week for fossil fuel giant, Rio Tinto. Greens Senator Bob Brown instigated a Senate Inquiry into the Office, joining other conservationists in claiming the arrangement represents a conflict of interest. FULL STORY

Burying our problems: Rio Tinto denies pressuring Government on Kyoto

By Steven Marrs

In its energy white paper, the Howard Government opted to continue research and development into geosequestation. With Russia recently signing the Kyoto Protocol, Australia and the US are the only major non-signatories. Any decision the Government makes on energy policy will heavily reflect on the fossil fuel industries. None more so than Rio Tinto, a company expected to benefit from the $500m geosequestration package. FULL STORY

The legacy of Gretley

By Assia Benmedjdoub and Robert Kotevski

In the small mining community of Cessnock, a humble brick memorial wall is etched with 1537 names - victims of the Northern District coalmines. A state government inquiry into the disaster produced 44 recommendations, but little has been done to reform Occupational Health and Safety standards in the mining industry. In October, the NSW government announced another mine safety review after three deaths and a number of serious injuries, largely from the Hunter Valley region. FULL STORY